Archive for February, 2007

A powerful new documentary about living with chronic disease is about to premiere in New York City before moving to cities across the nation. INNERSTATE chronicles the lives of three individuals, one battling psoriasis, another Crohn’s disease, and a third rheumatoid arthritis.
Through interviews with the patients, their families and friends, the movie weaves together
READ THE FULL POST

Few would deny that the mind can affect the body, and MSNBC’s feel-good piece about psychodermatology is certainly right to quote a Ph.D. as saying:
“These emotional stressors can keep the best skin medicine in the world from working,” he says. “You’ve got to address what’s going on in the heart as well as on the
READ THE FULL POST

A new study suggests that naps may reduce the risk of death from heart disease. Given the potential link between psoriasis and heart attack, we think the only prudent thing to do is to start leading by example: Henceforth, please do not call us between noon and 12:30 eastern time.

Hold on to your hats. Imagine a single injection clearing your psoriasis for weeks or months. (And not some phony internet scam but the real thing.) For some psoriasis patients, it was a reality in a recent clinical trial of an experimental psoriasis treatment currently called CNTO 1275. The treatment, made
READ THE FULL POST

“A review of 20 years of data from the Mayo Clinic shows that the Goeckerman method used for treating severe psoriasis in children produces high clearance and remission rates with minimal adverse effects. … All patients underwent coal tar ointment smears 3 times a day plus daily ultraviolet light exposure….”
It is always good
READ THE FULL POST

A new study has found tacrolimus cream (brand name Protopic) effective for mild to moderate psoriasis. Both 0.1% and 0.5% formulations beat the placebo by more than 20% in this 10 week trial. (Interestingly, the 0.1% strength did as well as the 0.5% in this study.)
Tacrolimus appeared safe in the
READ THE FULL POST

With the year’s biggest annual dermatology conference just winding down here in Washington, DC, the announcements concerning new and emerging psoriasis treatments have been abundant and encouraging. Two more were recently released.
We note these not because they appear more (or less) promising than any of the others, but merely to note once again the
READ THE FULL POST

For those of you who missed season seven of America’s Next Top Model on Fox, the show hosted by supermodel Tyra Banks, here’s an update: a woman with psoriasis won. CariDee English battled psoriasis throughout childhood, and now she is on the cover of Seventeen Magazine, won a big fat cash prize, and
READ THE FULL POST

“Abbott said a trial of 1,200 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis showed that 71 percent who were treated with Humira showed at least 75 percent skin clearance after 16 weeks, compared with 6.5 percent of patients given a placebo.”
Abbott also says it will seek FDA approval of Humira for psoriasis in the first half of this
READ THE FULL POST

Hand and/or foot psoriasis can be particularly debilitating and distressing. Now a study has focused on this vexing problem:
A 12-week course of Raptiva (efalizumab) significantly improved chronic severe plaque psoriasis of the hands and feet, researchers here reported today.
… Historically psoriasis of the hands and feet has been a treatment challenge. As a
READ THE FULL POST